Machine for clearing railroad flangeways

ABSTRACT

A machine is provided for clearing a rail flangeway, of debris or ice, the machine comprising: a frame; mounting means for mounting the frame on a vehicle, the vehicle for moving the machine across the surface in a direction of travel generally parallel to the length of the flangeway; at least one rotating member mounted on the frame for rotation about an axis generally perpendicular to the direction of travel; drive means in communication with the rotating member to provide rotation; and at least one elongate clearing member mounted on the rotating member, the elongate clearing member being configured to fit inside the subsurface groove; such that, as the vehicle moves the machine across the surface, rotation of the rotating member causes the elongate clearing member to intermittently enter the flangeway to clear it of debris.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to machines for clearing railroadflangeways and similar grooves or channels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Railroad flangeways are the grooves in road surfaces at level crossingsthat accommodate the rails of the railroad tracks. Gravel, sand, mud,ice, and snow and other debris can accumulate in these flangeways.Industry specific research indicates that clogged flangeways are acontributing factor in train derailments, which occurrences, sometimescatastrophic, generate substantial safety and liability issues. Thepotential results of such occurrences include extensive property andenvironmental damage, and personal injury. Also, there are effects onvehicular traffic and railroad productivity, caused by time delays dueto slower train speeds in order to minimize the risk of derailment.

Clearing this debris presents a challenge. Conventional machines forclearing ground surfaces are concerned with clearing generally smoothsurfaces, such as roads, and generally leave surface grooves untouchedand may actually add to the debris accumulation in them.

Current practice is to clean rail flangeways with labour-intensive,manual application of shovels, switch brooms, picks, bars, aircompressors, or front-end loaders with crow's-foot attachments. Duringthe winter months, heated pitch may be manually applied to railwaycrossings to melt the ice and snow prior to the manual removal ofdebris. These existing methods for clearing rail flangeways arelabour-intensive and time-consuming, factors that generate undesirableconsequences.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a cleaner forclearing debris from a flangeway accommodating a rail of a railroadtrack, the cleaner comprising:

a vehicle adapted to travel along the track;

a cleaning head comprising;

-   -   a housing;    -   a rotor mounted in the housing for rotation about a rotor axis        transverse to the flangeway;    -   at least one cleaning element projecting radially from the rotor    -   a rotor drive for rotating the rotor about the rotor axis; and

a carrier for mounting the cleaning head on the vehicle for supportingthe cleaning head above the flangeway for movement along the flangewayas the vehicle travels along the track, such that, as the cleaning headmoves along the flangeway and the rotor is rotated, each cleaningelement sweeps repeatedly along the groove to clear debris therefrom.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention the cleaner has twocleaning heads for simultaneously cleaning two parallel flangeways of atrack. Similarly, the carrier may provide for variations in the verticalpositioning of the cleaning heads.

To prevent electrical shorting across the rails, the cleaning heads arepreferably electrically isolated from the remainder of the cleaner.

The debris dislodged by the cleaning elements may be propelled by thecleaning elements into a receiver mounted on the cleaning head. Theaccumulation of debris may be assisted by configuring the housing as theshroud of a centrifugal blower, and mounting a set of impeller blades onthe rotor for producing a rotary air flow discharging tangentially fromthe housing into the receiver along with the debris

The use of the present cleaner provides a mechanical, power operatedclearing of debris from flangeways. This obviates labour intensive,manual processes and the use of chemicals or heated pitch to remove iceand snow.

A detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention is given in the following. It is to be understood, however,that the invention is not to be construed as limited to this embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodimentof the present invention:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a cleaner according to the presentinvention, unmounted and with one of the cleaner head shrouds omitted;

FIG. 2 is a view like FIG. 1 with the cleaner folded to a transportposition;

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-section of a flangeway;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the cleaner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation of the cleaner;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of one of the cleaning heads with the outerside panel omitted to show the internal component layout;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of a cleaning head rotor;

FIG. 8 is a view like FIG. 7 showing the cleaning elements mounted onthe rotor;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a cleaning element clamp; and

FIG. 10 is a partial cross section of a cleaning head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

Referring to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated anexemplary embodiment of a flangeway clearing machine or cleaner 10. Forpurposes of illustration, a typical flangeway is illustrated in crosssection in FIG. 3. As illustrated, the flangeway 2 is a groove in a roadsurface 4 to accommodate the flange 5 of a rail vehicle wheel 6travelling along a running rail 8. In the illustration, the flangeway 2is the space between the running rail 8 and a check, or guard, rail 9.Flangeways are located at railroad level crossings. Equivalent groovesare used on paved roads urban streets where street car tracks areinstalled.

Referring to the remaining drawings, an in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2,the cleaner 10 has a mounting frame 12 for mounting the cleaner on thetrailing end of a railway vehicle (not illustrated). Mounted on the backof the frame 12 for pivotal movement about a lateral axis 14 is asubframe 16. This subframe carries two uprights 18 linked to themounting frame by respective hydraulic cylinders 20.

A track frame 22 is mounted on the back of the subframe 16 for pivotalmovement about a second lateral axis 24. The track frame is linked tothe uprights of the subframe by respective hydraulic cylinders 26.

At its trailing end 28, the track frame has two laterally orientedsleeves 30 which support a box beam 32 for sliding movement transverselyof the frame. The beam 32 carries a cleaner head 34 at each end. Toadjust the lateral position of the heads, a hydraulic cylinder 36 iscoupled between one of the sleeves 30 and the beam 32.

Each of the cleaning heads 34 has a housing or shroud 38 with an arcuateupper peripheral wall 40 and a truncated, open base 42. At the front ofthe shroud, immediately above the base, is a rectangular discharge 44.This opens into a duct 46 that discharges into a vented, box-likecollector 50. The shrouds are mounted on respective ends of the beam 32.The inner panel of each shroud is fitted with hooded air inlets 52, onopposite sides of, and adjacent the beam 32. To support each cleaninghead 34 on a rail, it is equipped with flanged wheels 54 and 56 at thefront of the collector 50 and the back of the shroud respectively.Within the shroud is a rotor 58. This includes a shaft 60 extendinglaterally into the shroud from the adjacent end of the beam 32. Theshaft is driven by a hydraulic motor 62 (illustrated schematically inFIG. 5) housed within the beam. The rotor per se includes a hub 64mounted on the shaft and a set of impellers 66 radiating from the hub.The impellers act as centrifugal fan blades to create a flow of airthrough the shroud from the inlets 52 to the discharge 44. Cleaningelements 68 are mounted on each impeller and project radially outwardlyfrom the impellers. FIG. 1 illustrates the currently preferredarrangement with two cleaning elements on each impeller. Each element isa short length of flexible, multi-strand twisted wire cable 70 with oneend encased in a reinforced elastomeric tube 72. The cleaning elementsare mounted in place by clamps 74, illustrated in detail in FIG. 9.

The rotor hub is electrically isolated from the remainder of the cleanerby insulating plates 76 and 78 and insulating sleeves 80 for themounting bolts. This prevents electrical shorting from one rail to theother.

For use, the frame is unfolded from the transport position shown in FIG.2 to the operating position of FIG. 1 by extending the cylinders 20 and26 to place the cleaning heads on respective track rails. Thesecylinders control the vertical position of the cleaning heads withrespect to the rails and the flangeways in which they are seated. Properalignment of the support wheels 56 and 58 is ensured by adjusting thelateral position of the heads using cylinder 36.

As the cleaner is pulled along the track, the cleaning elements sweepalong the flangeways and dislodge any debris therein. The debris ispropelled forwardly by the cleaning elements and by the air flowproduced by the rotating impellers. The combined effect discharges thedebris tangentially from the discharge 44 into the vented collector forsubsequent disposal.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed in the foregoing, it is to be understood that otherembodiments are possible within the scope of the invention and areintended to be included herein. It will be clear to any person skilledin the art that modifications of and adjustments to this invention,although not shown, are possible without departing from the spirit ofthe invention as demonstrated through the exemplary embodiment. Thus,for example it is to be understood that a machine with a single cleanerhead will be useful in some applications and is intended to be includedwithin the scope of this invention. The invention is applicable to allrail applications where flangeways are found. Additionally, while thepresent invention has been described in terms of its use in clearingrailway flangeways, it is to be understood that the invention isapplicable in other environments, and, in particular, has generalapplication to the cleaning of grooves or slots, regardless of thelocation or end use of such grooves or slots. The invention is thereforeto be considered limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

1. A cleaner for clearing debris from a flangeway groove accommodating arunning rail of a railroad track, the cleaner comprising: a vehicleadapted to travel along the track; a cleaning head comprising; ahousing; a rotor mounted in the housing for rotation about a rotor axistransverse to the flangeway; at least one cleaning element projectingradially from the rotor a rotor drive for rotating the rotor about therotor axis; and a carrier for mounting the cleaning head on the vehiclefor supporting the cleaning head above the flangeway for movement alongthe flangeway as the vehicle travels along the track, such that, as thecleaning head moves along the flangeway and the rotor is rotated, eachcleaning element sweeps repeatedly along the groove to clear debristherefrom.
 2. A cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the rotor is housedwithin a shroud, the shroud being mounted on the frame.
 3. A cleaneraccording to claim 1 comprising two cleaning heads, spaced apart forcleaning respective ones of two spaced, parallel flangeways.
 4. Acleaner according to claim 1 further comprising a debris collector forreceiving and collecting debris cleared from the flangeway.
 6. A cleaneraccording to claim 5 including a support for supporting the cleaninghead on a rail extending along the flangeway.
 7. A cleaner according toclaim 1 wherein the carrier comprises means for adjusting the verticalposition of the cleaning head on the frame.
 8. A cleaner according toclaim 7 wherein the carrier comprises means for adjusting the positionof the cleaning head transversely of the flangeway.
 9. A cleaneraccording to claim 1 wherein each cleaning head comprises electricalinsulation for electrically isolating the rotor.
 10. A cleaner accordingto claim 1 wherein the rotor comprises a hub and a plurality ofimpellers projecting radially from the hub.
 11. A cleaner according toclaim 10 wherein the cleaning elements are mounted on respective ones ofthe impellers.
 12. A cleaner according to claim 1 wherein each cleaningelement comprises a twisted wire cable
 13. A cleaner according to claim12 wherein each cleaning element further comprises an elastomeric tubeencasing one end of the cable.
 14. A cleaner according to claim 11comprising a plurality of cleaning elements mounted on each impeller.15. A cleaner according to claim 6 wherein the support comprises flangedwheels for engaging and following the rail.